This document provides guidance on how to develop a design basis memorandum (DBM) for landform design. The DBM is intended to be used for the design and assessment of individual mining landforms and for closure planning.
A DBM is a document that sets out the vision for the reclaimed landform or mine site, and includes the goals, objectives, and design criteria needed to support that vision. This extends from mine closure plans (the mine site / landscape scale) to individual landforms and sometimes to the design of specific landform elements (such as a wetland or a lookout tower) on a
mining landform. The level of detail in the DBM, and its format, depends on which of these scales it is intended to address. Although this guide focuses on explaining how to develop a standalone document for an individual landform, it is equally applicable to a mine closure plan, wherein the DBM section may form a chapter in the closure planning document.